Local players help Stars to Texas Showcase crown

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, July 8, 2000

DEER PARK - Ever since last summer, the talk in District 17 Little League circles was Channelview and how that organization’s 12-year-old all-stars had the potential to breeze to this summer’s Majors title.

The talk had plenty of backing to it since the same group of Channelview players hadn’t lost a district contest in two years. It appeared nothing was going to stop them from a third consecutive summer of unfurling a district championship banner.

Nothing until two consecutive July nights brought Channelview’s domination to a screeching halt.

Before an overflow crowd, Deer Park’s Jake Holder belted a dramatic two-run homer in the ninth inning Friday night that lifted Deer Park to a stunning 2-0 victory, eliminating Channelview from the district title race.

With Bill Ogden, who had singled, on board Holder lofted a Diego Seastrunk pitch over the left center field wall for the game-winning blow, ending a contest that took two-and-a-half hours to finish.

The ball seemed to take its time leaving the park. Hardly a line drive, it was more of a high and majestic deep fly ball that cleared the wall by about six feet. The Channelview center fielder climbed the chest-high wooden wall but it was to no avail.

Holder received a hero’s welcome at home plate as well as after the game.

Holder’s homer was only the fourth hit Seastrunk had allowed all night long. Seastruck and Deer Park starter Blake Lynd were locked in a memorable pitcher’s duel.

The two combined for 31 strikeouts. Seastrunk finished with 18 and Lynd, who finished with a two-hitter, had 13.

Channelview nearly snapped the scoreless game in the top of the ninth, but a beautiful throw from Deer Park’s center fielder to his catcher allowed for the dramatic tag at the plate and the inning’s third out.

Seastrunk forced Deer Park to leave the potential winning run stranded on third base in the seventh with one of his 18 strikeouts.

These same two teams met in last summer’s District 17 championship game for the 11-year-olds that Channelview won 1-0. That game was also decided by a home run. In that contest a year ago, Holder struck out twice.

But Friday night, Holder and his teammates got their revenge.

Channelview fell into its do-or-die predicament on Thursday night when North Shore pulled off a 5-3 upset.